Behind the Scenes of the Heart of a Warrior Series

I’ve been working on a project for my day job centered around this idea: “What does it mean to be courageous?” And it got me thinking about the beginnings of the Heart of a Warrior series. This series began in a fourth-grade classroom while I was substitute teaching. They were taking a quiz, and I had just watched a news update on …

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On Navy SEALs and Fiction

One of the most common questions I get about the Heart of a Warrior series is: Why Navy SEALs? I usually give one answer or another: My brother considered becoming a SEAL at one point. One of my favorite movies, Tears of the Sun, showed me what flawed men and a flawed mission can sometimes accomplish when our perspective changes. …

Kariss Writing, Writing Life 4 Comments

Giveaway – Remembering the Haiti Earthquake

I remember the footage all too well, the announcement that an earthquake had struck a tiny island nation, the waiting and wondering if people were alive. It’s been five years, and in that time, I’ve experienced what the Lord is doing in the aftermath. Today, I’m hosting a giveawy in support of 3 Cords, a ministry that provides jobs to …

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Gearing up for ACFW

Time for an update on my writing progress! Shadowed is with endorsers, Surrendered is underway, and the next proposal for the Heart of the Lion series is finished (as of today). Which means…it is almost time for the ACFW conference! This is the first year I will be attending as a published author. I love meeting other writers and can’t …

Kariss Writing Life 3 Comments

I’m Just the Messenger

“How’s the writing going?” my coworker asked this week. Usually, I have a tailor-made answer ready for this. “It’s going.” “I’m getting there.” “I love it. It’s hard, but I’m excited about it.” “I’m overwhelmed. But at least it’s for a good reason!” But this time? This time, I groaned. Out loud. Before I could catch myself. The truth is …

Kariss Writing Life 9 Comments

The Bravery to Try

Every Friday, I link up with a fun group of writers over at Lisa-Jo’s. We spill our hearts on the page (screen) for the love of the craft and because even virtual community untied by a love of language and purpose matters. Today’s word… WRITE It’s ironic to me that on a week where I wanted to take a break …

Kariss Blog 11 Comments